Systems and methods for identifying and collecting banned waste

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for authorizing a waste item to be removed from a site are disclosed. In one embodiment, a waste collection vehicle includes a reader configured to obtain identification information from an identification tag associated with the waste item. A transceiver associated with the vehicle is configured to: receive the identification information from the reader, wirelessly transmit the identification information to a remote computer for processing, and wirelessly receive an indication of whether the waste item should be collected and removed by the waste collection. The received indication is based on at least one hazardous characteristic associated with the identified waste item, a determination that the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic, and a determination that a driver of the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to the following copending and commonlyassigned patent applications, which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety: “Systems and Methods for Identifying Banned Waste ina Municipal Solid Waste Environment,” having application Ser. No.11/433,505, filed on May 15, 2006; “Systems for and Methods of AssetManagement In a Waste Management Service Environment,” havingapplication Ser. No. 11/435,688, filed on May 18, 2006; and “Systems andMethods for Using Billing Information to Dynamically Route Vehicles,”having application Ser. No. ______ and attorney docket 105452-312, filedon Sep. 6, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the present invention relate primarily to the field ofwaste management and, more particularly, to systems and methods foridentifying and collecting hazardous and/or special waste items.

2. Background Description

Waste management companies provide residential, commercial, andmunicipal waste management and recycling services for communities andorganizations. Customers can range from single residences to entiretowns or companies. Municipalities may contract with, or other wiseengage, a waste management service provider to handle their municipalsolid waste (“MSW”). MSW is garbage, refuse, recyclables and otherdiscarded materials that result from residential, commercial,industrial, and community activities. MSW does not include, for example,hazardous waste, animal waste used as fertilizer, or sewage sludge.

Often, residential or commercial customers put waste other than MSW intoa waste container. Such waste can generally be termed “banned waste”that must be disposed of properly in order to comply with local, stateand/or federal laws and regulations.

One type of banned waste is referred to as hazardous waste. As usedherein, hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make itdangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment. Theuniverse of hazardous wastes is large and diverse. Hazardous wastes canbe liquids, solids, contained gases, or sludges. They can be theby-products of manufacturing processes or simply discarded commercialproducts, like cleaning fluids or pesticides.

In regulatory terms, a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)hazardous waste is a waste that appears on one of the four hazardouswastes lists (F-list, K-list, P-list, or U-list), or exhibits at leastone of four characteristics—ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, ortoxicity. Hazardous waste is regulated under the RCRA Subtitle C.

Another type of banned waste referred to as “special waste” can includeitems such as household hazardous waste, bulky wastes (refrigerators,pieces of furniture, etc.) tires, and used oil. State and localgovernments regulate both hazardous and special waste to ensure propertransport and disposal. Generally, only properly permitted and regulatedcompanies are authorized to remove and dispose of these types of waste.

Both hazardous and special wastes are also regulated by local and stategovernments to ensure, for example, that proper transport and disposalprocedures are followed. Often, customers co-mingle banned waste withstandard MSW. Generally, only properly permitted and regulated companiesare authorized to remove and dispose of these types of waste. If such awaste carrier picks up these banned waste items, either knowingly orunwittingly, the waste carrier may be violating of one or more operatingpermits and is subject to various penalties, such as monetary finesand/or suspension of one or more permits.

Commonly, for the collection of refuse, a waste management serviceplaces waste containers for use at a plurality of customer sites. Wastecontainer types are diverse in the industry and can include, forexample, residential or commercial large-volume metal containers such asdumpsters, roll-off containers, rolling lift (or tip) carts, and/orother types of containers.

Conventional processes for tracking the collection of banned waste atvarious customer sites are largely manually intensive and paper-based,requiring various personnel to handle and process the paper records.Such manual processes are cumbersome and prone to human error.

For example, personnel not properly trained and/or licensed to handle orremove a particular type of waste may inadvertently handle or removesuch waste. The lack of cross-checking and immediate feedback inconventional systems may result in unauthorized personnel removing suchwaste, thereby creating health and/or safety risks to themselves andothers. We have discovered that there exists a need to automate themanner in which banned waste is identified, in a manner that wouldreduce cost, enhance safety, and comply or facilitate compliance withapplicable health and safety laws and regulations.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods thatcan be used to ensure that proper procedures are followed throughout theremoval and disposal of banned waste, to prevent banned waste fromentering the MSW stream, and to prevent regulatory violations. Variousembodiments of the present invention use RFID technology and positioningtechnology to identify a customer site and the waste items at thecustomer site, in order to determine an appropriate action to beperformed. In addition, in order to ensure that banned waste items areproperly collected, various embodiments of the present invention canverify that qualified personnel and proper collection equipment are inplace, and/or verify that there is a disposal destination available forwaste disposal.

In one embodiment of the invention, a waste collection vehicle includesa reader configured to obtain identification information from anidentification tag associated with the waste item. The identificationtag may be a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. A transceiver isassociated with the waste collection vehicle, that is configured to:receive the identification information from the reader, wirelesslytransmit the identification information to a remote computer forprocessing, and wirelessly receive an indication of whether the wasteitem should be collected and removed by the waste collection. Thereceived indication is based on at least one hazardous characteristicassociated with the identified waste item, a determination that thewaste collection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item havingthe at least one hazardous characteristic, and a determination that adriver of the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collect thewaste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic. Thereceived indication may also be based on a location at which the wastecollection vehicle will deposit the waste item. The collection vehiclefurther includes a camera to record an image of the waste item.

The transceiver may also receive position coordinates of the wastecollection vehicle. The transceiver may transmit the positioncoordinates to a remote computer, and receive an indication of whetherthe position coordinates are associated with a customer in goodstanding. The remote computer may utilize at least one data repositoryto determine the at least one hazardous characteristic associated withthe identified waste item, that the waste collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic, and that the driver of the collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method for authorizinga vehicle to remove waste items from a site includes readingidentification information from an identification tag associated withthe waste item, wirelessly transmitting the identification informationfrom the collection vehicle to a remote computer for processing, andreceiving wirelessly at the collection vehicle an indication of whetherthe waste item should be collected and removed by the waste collectionvehicle. The indication is based on at least one hazardouscharacteristic associated with the identified waste item, adetermination that the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collectthe waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic, and adetermination that a driver of the waste collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic. The identification tag may be a radio frequencyidentification tag. The received indication may also be based on alocation at which the waste collection vehicle will deposit the wasteitem.

The method may also include receiving at the waste collection vehicleposition coordinates of the waste collection vehicle. The positioncoordinates may be transmitted from the waste collection vehicle to aremote computer, and the collection vehicle may also receive anindication of whether the position coordinates are associated with acustomer in good standing.

The method may also include utilizing the at least one data repositoryto determine the at least one hazardous characteristic associated withthe identified waste item, that the waste collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic, and that the driver of the collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a waste collectionvehicle, includes a reader configured to obtain identificationinformation from an identification tag associated with the waste item,and at least one data repository that utilizes the identificationinformation to determine whether the waste item should be collected andremoved by the waste collection vehicle. The determination is based onat least one hazardous characteristic associated with the identifiedwaste item, a determination that the waste collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic, and a determination that a driver of the wastecollection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item having the atleast one hazardous characteristic. The identification tag may be aradio frequency identification tag. The determination can also be basedon utilizing at least one data repository to determine a location atwhich the waste collection vehicle will deposit the waste item. Thewaste collection vehicle may also include a camera to record an image ofthe waste item.

The waste collection vehicle may also include a transceiver thatreceives position coordinates of the waste collection vehicle. Thetransceiver transmits the position coordinates to a remote computer, andreceives from the remote computer an indication of whether the positioncoordinates are associated with a customer in good standing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The Detailed Description of the Invention, including the description ofvarious embodiments of the invention, will be best understood when readin reference to the accompanying figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary banned waste collection systemin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of identifyingand collecting banned waste in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary banned waste collection system100. Central computer 110, global positioning system (“GPS”) system 114,and cellular infrastructure 116 each communicate with system 100. GPSsystem 114 is a standard global positioning system that suppliesposition data, such as digital latitude and longitude. Collectionvehicle 112 can include onboard computer 138, RFID reader 140, GPSdevice 144, and camera 142.

Collection vehicle 112 can be, for example, a conventional waste haulingtruck that is used to collect refuse, as is well known in the industry.To remove banned items, vehicle 112 can be driven to various sites suchas commercial and industrial sites, residential curbsides, and/orcommunity drop-off points.

Onboard computer 138 can be a self-contained computing apparatus that iswell known and in common use, such as a standard desktop or laptoppersonal computer (“PC”). Alternatively, onboard computer 138 can be acomputing apparatus such as a general purpose PC that is physicallyintegrated with vehicle 112. An onboard computer 138, such as sold byGlacier Computer (New Milford, Conn.) or by Mobile Computing Corporation(Charlottesville, Va.), can be used.

Onboard computer 138 can include industry standard components (notshown), such as a standard user interface (e.g., a monitor), aprocessor, a storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive), and a clockdevice that can be used to provide timestamp data. Onboard computer 138may also include standard operating system software, such as theMicrosoft Windows® operating system, as well as include and/or utilizevarious standard interfaces (e.g., universal serial bus (“USB”) ports)that can be used to communicate with reader 140, GPS device 144, andcamera 142.

In some embodiments, onboard computer 138 can include a wirelessinterface (not shown) to facilitate communication with central computer110 via cellular infrastructure 116. Onboard computer 138 also caninclude or utilize a standard modem (not shown) to communicate withcentral computer 110 via cellular infrastructure 116. In addition,onboard computer 138 can include a wireless interface (not shown) thatutilizes, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard to communicate withcentral computer 110 via communication link 190.

RFID tag 152 is attached to a waste item 150. As used herein, a wasteitem 150 may also be characterized as a banned waste item 150 asdetermined by reading RFID tag 152. If waste item 150 is a banned wasteitem 150, RFID tag 152 will contain information identifying one or morecharacteristics of the banned waste item 150. The Resource Conservationand Recovery Act (RCRA) characteristics of ignitability, corrosivity,reactivity, and toxicity, for example, may be used to characterizebanned waste items 150.

In one or more embodiments, identification information stored in RFIDtag 152 can be a digital identification number that uniquely identifiesone or more characteristics of banned waste item 150. For example, ifbanned waste item 150 is ignitable, it may have identifier 001associated therewith. If banned waste item 150 is corrosive, it may haveidentifier 002 associated therewith. If banned waste item 150 isreactive, it may have identifier 003 associated therewith. If bannedwaste item 150 is toxic, it may have identifier 004 associatedtherewith.

RFID tag 152 may contain one or more identifiers for a given bannedwaste item 150. For example, a banned waste item 150 may containidentifiers 001, 003 and 004 to respectively indicate that the bannedwaste item 150 is ignitable, reactive and toxic.

Other identifiers may also, of course, be used to indicate or designateother banned waste item 150 characteristics. For example, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a list of hazardous wasteitems. Listed EPA items may also have identification informationassociated therewith and stored in RFID tag 152, so that such items canbe identified when read by RFID reader 140.

RFID reader 140 can read the identification information and can transmitthe information to onboard computer 138. RFID reader 140 can be acommercially available RFID tag reader system, such as the TI RFIDsystem, manufactured by Texas Instruments (Dallas, Tex.).

GPS device 144 communicates with GPS system 114 to obtain the locationof collection vehicle 112, and therefore the location of the customersite where banned waste item 150 is located, after vehicle 112 hasarrived at the customer site. GPS device 144 transmits locationinformation, such as digital latitude and longitude, to onboard computer138. GPS device 144 can be, for example, the GEOTAB GPS system, which isa commercially available vehicle fleet and productivity managementsystem manufactured by GEOTAB (Burlington, Ontario, Canada).

Camera 142 can be a standard, wide angle video security camera, such asa Ganz D/N Hi/Res A/I 8.5-40 mm camera, which captures images of bannedwaste items 150 at collection sites. The images may be transmitted toand stored by onboard computer 138.

Onboard computer 138 receives the identification information of bannedwaste item 150 from reader 140, and the location of customer site fromGPS device 144. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, onboard computer 138transmits the information from reader 140 and GPS device 144 to centralcomputer 110 for processing and analysis, as will be described herein.In one or more other embodiments, onboard computer 138 uses theinformation from reader 140 and GPS device 144 to determine the specificprocedures and requirements for collecting and disposing of banned wasteitem 150. In these embodiments, onboard computer 138 may have the same(or substantially same) contents as central computer 110. That is,onboard computer 112 will have the contents of customer repository 128,vehicle repository 130, RCRA/Department of Transportation (DOT)repository 132, human resource repository 134, and landfill repository136.

Central computer 110 can be a standard laptop or desktop computer. Asshown, central computer 110 may include standard components such asprocessor 118 and user interface 122. Processor 118 can be a standardmicroprocessor, such as a Pentium® processor supplied by IntelCorporation (Santa Clara, Calif.), or a PowerPC® microprocessor devicesupplied by IBM Corporation (Armonk, N.Y.). User interface 122 can be astandard computer user interface for inputting and displaying data, suchas a keyboard and mouse or a touch screen with accompanying menus andprompts.

Central computer 110 also includes modem 124 for wireless communicationwith system 100 through cellular infrastructure 116. Cellularinfrastructure 116 can include one or more cell towers and othercellular network interconnections, as is well known. Modem 124 can be awireless cell phone modem, such as is provided by CYNET, Incorporated(Houston, Tex.), which can communicate with a modem (not shown) ononboard computer 138 through cellular infrastructure 116. In additionto, or as an alternative to modem 124, central computer 110 may alsoinclude, for example, a wireless interface 126 that operates inaccordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, to enable communicationbetween central computer 110 and onboard computer 138 using the IEEE802.11 standard.

Central computer 110 may include banned waste control software 120 thatcommunicates with multiple data repositories, such as customerrepository 128, vehicle repository 130, RCRA/DOT repository 132, humanresource repository 134, and/or landfill repository 136. The contents ofrepositories 128, 130, 132, 134, and 136 are discussed herein. Thecontents of repositories 128, 130, 132, 134, and 136 may vary, and becombined or organized in any manner. Repositories 128, 130, 132, 134,and 136 can be standard relational databases. Software 120 executes theflow of the method steps of FIG. 2 interacting with the various systemelements of system 100 of FIG. 1 and personnel.

Customer repository 128 can include, for example, information pertainingto a plurality of customer accounts. Such information may includecustomer site location, route data, items expected to be removed fromthe customer site, and/or billing data. For example, using the location(e.g., street address, city, state, and zip code) of a customer site,software 120 may find the corresponding customer account in repository128 and determine any banned waste items 150 that are expected to beremoved from the customer site. Banned waste item(s) 150 that areexpected to be removed from the customer site will generally have anidentifier associated therewith such that the identifier stored on RFIDtag 152 will match or correspond with an identifier in RCRA/DOTrepository 132.

Vehicle repository 130 can include a collection of vehicle 112 records,including the permit(s) that each collection vehicle 112 carriesregarding waste transportation. For example, onboard computer 138 maytransmit a vehicle identifier to central computer 110. For a particularcollections vehicle 112 having a vehicle identifier associatedtherewith, software 120 may find the vehicle record, corresponding tothe vehicle identifier, in repository 130, and determine whether vehicle112 is authorized to remove one or more characteristics of ignitability,corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity.

RCRA/DOT repository 132 can contain a collection of informationassociated with the identification, collection, and management of bannedwaste items 150 according to RCRA/DOT requirements. Repository 132 mayinclude federal, state, or local regulatory information pertaining tovarious types of banned waste, as well as data pertaining to recoverableand/or non-recoverable items indexed by identification informationcontained in the respective RFID tags 152 of banned waste items 150.

Given the identification information read from RFID tag 152, software120 may access repository 132 to determine, for example, whether wasteitem 150 is a glass container, a plastic container, an aluminumcontainer, a paper product, or a banned (e.g., hazardous) waste item150. If a waste item 150 is a banned waste item 150, software 120 mayuse repository 132 to determine the type of banned waste item 150according to RCRA/DOC classification, as well as the correspondingprocedures and/or requirements for collecting and disposing of bannedwaste item 150.

Human resource repository 134 can include a collection of human resourceinformation, such as employee training, license requirements, and/or arecord of employee qualifications and certification. For example, giventhe identity of a person, software 120 may find a corresponding recordof qualifications in repository 134 and determine whether the person isauthorized to remove certain types of banned waste items 150.

Landfill repository 136 can include a collection of informationpertaining to each landfill and/or municipality. For example, landfillrepository 136 may include information pertaining to the types ofpermitted waste materials, quantity limits, and hours of operation.Using repository 136, software 120 may ascertain whether a landfill iscurrently accepting a certain type of banned waste item 150.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating various methods of identifying andcollecting banned waste items 150. At step 210, after vehicle 112 hasarrived at a customer site, vehicle 112 obtains the identificationinformation contained in RFID tag 152 using RFID reader 140.

At step 212, identifying indicia is read on RFID tag using RFID reader140, to determine whether waste item 150 is a banned waste item 150.Identification of the type of banned waste item 150 can be determinedwhen information pertaining to the type of banned waste item 150 iscontained in or accessible via RFID tag 152. For example, RCRA/DOTrepository 132 can be queried using the identification information toobtain information pertaining to banned waste item 150 such asignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, toxicity, the chemical abstractnumber (CAS) and/or a generic chemical description. Camera 142 may beused to photograph the particular banned waste item 150 identified. Thephotograph can be transmitted to and stored in computer 110 in order tomaintain a visual record of any banned waste item 150 that is picked-upby collection vehicle 112.

In some embodiments, repository 132 can be included in or associatedwith central computer 110. In these embodiments, system 100 transmitsthe identification information from onboard computer 138 to centralcomputer 110 using a wireless connection. Banned waste control software120 may then query RCRA/DOT repository 132 using the identificationinformation.

At decision step 214, if waste item 150 is not a banned waste item 150,reader 140 may be used to read tag 152 for other waste items 150 at thesite, leave the site if there are no other waste items 150, or removewaste items 150 that are not banned waste items 150. If, at decisionstep 214, it is determined that a banned waste item 150 such as ahazardous special waste item is present then, at step 216, system 100may conduct a customer check.

Waste collection companies will generally know before pick-up of bannedwaste item(s) 150 that a customer has requested such service. Incircumstances where a bona fide customer exits, but the banned wasteitem 150 is not what was requested to be removed, the customer has,knowingly or unknowingly, made a request for waste removal that mayviolate the waste management security of handling waste materials,potentially rendering the waste management companies liable for suchhazardous waste.

To verify that a bona fide customer is being serviced, software 120 canfirst identify the customer site using the location of the customer siteobtained by GPS device 144. For example, at a given pickup site(customer), collection vehicle 112 may receive GPS coordinates via GPSsystem 114, and transmit those coordinates to onboard computer 138.Onboard computer 138 may have a database that correlates activecustomers in good standing with their respective GPS coordinates. Adatabase may be utilized such as described in the following copendingand commonly assigned patent application, which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety: Systems for and Methods of AssetManagement In a Waste Management Service Environment, having applicationSer. No. 11/435,688, filed on May 18, 2006. If onboard computer 138determines that GPS coordinates transmitted by collection vehicle 112are not associated with or do not pertain to an existing customer, orthat an existing customer is not in “good status” and thus should not beprovided service, onboard computer 138 provide an indication to thedriver of collection vehicle 112 that the location that collectionvehicle 110 is presently at should not be serviced.

Once it had been determined that the customer is an active, bona fidecustomer, software 120 may then query customer repository 128, obtain alist of any banned waste items 150 expected to be removed from thecustomer site, and compare the list with the data read from RFID tag 152at the customer site. In doing so, software 120 verifies that a bonafide customer has requested the waste removal. Determining and verifyingthe customer is useful, particularly since waste management companiesare generally liable and responsible for hazardous waste when the sourceor owner of such waste cannot be identified.

At decision step 218, if it is determined that banned waste item 150 isnot expected to be removed, then, at step 220, vehicle 112 skipscollecting banned waste item 150. If banned waste item 150 is expectedto be removed, system 100 may conduct an equipment check at step 222.For example, software 120 may query vehicle repository 130 in order todetermine whether collection vehicle 112 is authorized to remove bannedwaste item 150 having certain characteristic(s) (e.g., ignitability).

At decision step 224, if it is determined that vehicle 112 is notpermitted and regulated to collect banned waste item 150, vehicle 112skips the collection at 226. If it is determined that vehicle 112 ispermitted and authorized to collect banned waste item 150, system 100may also conduct a personnel check at step 228. For example, software120 may query human resource repository 134 using the identity, forexample, of the driver of vehicle 112, in order to determine whether theperson is authorized to remove the identified banned waste item(s) 150.

At decision step 230, if it is determined that the driver of vehicle 112is not authorized to remove banned waste item(s) 150, vehicle 112 skipsthe collection at step 232. If it is determined that the driver ofvehicle 112 is authorized to remove banned waste item(s) 152, system 100may further conduct a disposal location check at step 234. For example,software 120 may query landfill repository 136 in order to determinewhether the disposal location for banned waste item(s) 150 accepts sucha type of banned waste item 150 and/or is currently open and acceptingsuch banned waste items 150.

At decision step 236, if it is determined that the disposal location forbanned waste item 150 does not accept such items or is otherwiseunavailable, vehicle 112 skips the collection at step 238. If it isdetermined that the disposal location for banned waste item(s) 150accepts such items and is currently available, vehicle 112 thencompletes the removal operation of banned waste item 150 at step 240 andsubsequently disposes of banned waste item(s) 150.

Other embodiments, extensions, and modifications of the ideas presentedabove are comprehended and within the reach of one skilled in the artupon reviewing the present disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent invention in its various aspects should not be limited by theexamples and embodiments presented above. The individual aspects of thepresent invention, and the entirety of the invention should be regardedso as to allow for modifications and future developments within thescope of the present disclosure. The present invention is limited onlyby the claims that follow.

1. A system for authorizing a waste item to be removed from a site,comprising: a waste collection vehicle comprising a reader configured toobtain identification information from an identification tag associatedwith the waste item; and a transceiver associated with the wastecollection vehicle, configured to: receive the identificationinformation from the reader; wirelessly transmit the identificationinformation to a remote computer for processing; and wirelessly receivean indication of whether the waste item should be collected and removedby the waste collection vehicle based on i) at least one hazardouscharacteristic associated with the identified waste item, ii) adetermination that the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collectthe waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic, andiii) a determination that a driver of the waste collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein theidentification tag is a radio frequency identification tag.
 3. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the received indication is furtherbased on a location at which the waste collection vehicle will depositthe waste item.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiverreceives position coordinates of the waste collection vehicle.
 5. Thesystem according to claim 4, wherein the transceiver transmits theposition coordinates to the remote computer, and receives an indicationof whether the position coordinates are associated with a customer ingood standing.
 6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the remotecomputer utilizes at least one data repository to determine i) the atleast one hazardous characteristic associated with the identified wasteitem, ii) that the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collect thewaste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic, and iii)that the driver of the collection vehicle is authorized to collect thewaste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic.
 7. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the collection vehicle furthercomprises a camera to record an image of the waste item.
 8. A method forauthorizing a collection vehicle to remove waste item from a site,comprising: reading identification information from an identificationtag associated with the waste item; wirelessly transmitting theidentification information from the collection vehicle to a remotecomputer for processing; and receiving wirelessly at the collectionvehicle an indication of whether the waste item should be collected andremoved by the collection vehicle based on i) at least one hazardouscharacteristic associated with the identified waste item, ii) adetermination that the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collectthe waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic, andiii) a determination that a driver of the collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identification tagis a radio frequency identification tag.
 10. The method according toclaim 8, wherein the received indication is further based on a locationat which the collection vehicle will deposit the waste item.
 11. Themethod according to claim 8, further comprising receiving at thecollection vehicle position coordinates of the collection vehicle. 12.The method according to claim 11, further comprising: transmitting theposition coordinates from the collection vehicle to a remote computer;and receiving an indication of whether the position coordinates areassociated with a customer in good standing.
 13. The method according toclaim 10, wherein a data repository is utilized to determine i), ii) andiii).
 14. A waste collection vehicle, comprising: a reader configured toobtain identification information from an identification tag associatedwith the waste item; and at least one data repository that utilizes theidentification information to determine whether the waste item should becollected and removed by the waste collection vehicle based on: i) atleast one hazardous characteristic associated with the identified wasteitem, ii) a determination that the waste collection vehicle isauthorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardouscharacteristic, and iii) a determination that a driver of the wastecollection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item having the atleast one hazardous characteristic.
 15. The waste collection vehicleaccording to claim 14, wherein the identification tag is a radiofrequency identification tag.
 16. The waste collection vehicle accordingto claim 14, wherein the determination is further based on utilizing theat least one data repository to determine a location at which the wastecollection vehicle will deposit the waste item.
 17. The waste collectionvehicle of claim 14, further comprising a transceiver that receivesposition coordinates of the waste collection vehicle.
 18. The wastecollection vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the transceivertransmits the position coordinates to a remote computer, and receivesfrom the remote computer an indication of whether the positioncoordinates are associated with a customer in good standing.
 19. Thewaste collection vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the datarepository utilizes the position coordinates to indicate whether acustomer associated with the position coordinates is in good standing.20. The waste collection vehicle according to claim 14, wherein thecollection vehicle further comprises a camera to record an image of thewaste item.